New Information: Shell Lake Off the List to Host Tomb of the Unknowns

At a meeting this last Monday night in Shell Lake, the final decision was made by the Shell Lake City Planning Commission that there was no appropriate place for the beautiful replica of the original Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in Washington D.C. in Shell Lake.

With the proviso that the future site of the tomb needed to be one of serenity and respect, Shell Lake eliminated the few places suggested by the public and board members which included the Tip Town sports area among the tennis courts and baseball fields and the truck pull during Town and Country Days. There was room, but not for this glorious monument’s needs.

The Memorial Park also had room, but with a number of summer beachgoers in full gear during the summer months, and the snow in the winter covering the large grassy area, it too was eliminated falling far short of a serene place.

City Administrator, Andy Eiche commented that Shell Lake is very much a tourist area and the only place that came into serious consideration was the triangle-shaped plot near the K-2 school. The city was told that this area was undevelopable for anything, houses or businesses due to airport regulations keeping this property empty to avoid injuries if there was a plane crash using the runway either to take off or land.

Lisa Powers, the Veteran’s Service Officer, stated that the Northwest Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery on highway 53 is still in the running along with the Veteran’s Memorial Park on highway 63 in Spooner. The monument is to represent the whole of Washburn County, so it can be placed anywhere within the county lines. 

For more information, you can contact Lisa Powers by email; lpowers@co.washburn.wi.us

***Previous Story***

Washburn County to House Lifesize Replica of 'Tomb of the Unknowns'

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 | by Diane Dryden

Lisa Powers, the Washburn Country Veteran’s Service Officer, is the person who is spearheading the massive project of getting the exact size replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to Washburn County yet this year. In fact, she would like to see it installed and ready for the Fourth of July celebration.

It was with information from Jeff Unger, Vice President and co-founder of the Deforest Veterans Memorial Foundation that Lisa learned about the availability of the monument built by the folks who attend the Calvary Gospel Church in Madison.

Not too many years ago the church built a three-quarters scale copy of the front of the tomb for its Memorial Day service and had a Blackhawk helicopter land on the church grounds on Madison’s east side as part of the event.

Unger got the idea that a full sized replica of the entire tomb, when constructed, could sit in their own DeForest Memorial Park whose name had already been changed from Market Square Park to the Veteran’s Memorial Park in 2001, thanks to the initiative of the American Legion Olson-Grinde Memorial Post 348.

Unger called Brenda Rehbein, a church member who worked on the original replica, she said yes, and added “it was their opportunity to give back to the families who lost people in the wars. There’s a lot of hurt that goes with that, and it’s nice that we can recognize that.”

Brenda talked to the congregants of the church and they, plus her husband, a heating and cooling specialist, her brother, an experienced plasterer, and others took on the task. “It’s not like there’s a kit you can buy at the hobby store, or even blueprints for that matter.”

Several companies with ties to the congregation donated money, materials and know-how and by working with photos of the actual monument along with 3-D modeling and computer aided design software; they created blueprints for their project.

Construction began using angle iron, strips of steel, two-inch foam board, stucco and a layer of plaster and a coat of paint. All in all, it was a five-week project and the results were spectacular, including the monument’s wreaths and inscriptions.

This past Memorial Day, a National Guardsman performed the ritual sentinel march at the replica monument exactly like it is executed at the real tomb in Arlington National Cemetery and Gov. Scott Walker placed a ceremonial wreath at the 1,200-pound replica. 

Now the search begins for an appropriate place for the replica. It needs to be a place of contemplation, education, reflection and remembrance and the search for an appropriate spot to place it is underway.

The four locations that are vying to be chosen are:

1. The State Veteran’s Cemetery on highway 53
2. The wayside across the street from the cemetery
3. The Spooner Veterans Memorial Park
4. Shell Lake, location to be determined.

Wherever the memorial finds an appropriate home, funds will be needed for the transport from Madison, and in-kind donations are needed such as laborers and concrete specialists along with electricians. A slab will be required to mount it on as well as sidewalks up to and around it. Lighting will be necessary as well as landscaping and benches.

It’s a huge project, but quite a feather in the cap of the winning location.

For more information, contact Lisa at lpowers@co.washburn.wi.us or 715-635-4470

Donations can be made by sending your check to WC Veterans Service Office, 1600 Highway H, Spooner, Wisconsin 54801 (write Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the memo line). An account has already been activated.